Book Review

Seeing and Savoring Jesus Christ

Reviewed by Steve Argue

In this book, Piper sets out to point people to Jesus.  You won’t find the philosophical or historical proofs, however.  Though Piper acknowledges the importance of philosophical and theological reasoning, he believes that “divine truth can be self-authenticating.”  The biblical Jesus revealed and understood makes it clear who he is and what he is all about.  “Seeing and Savoring” is an exercise in exactly this, pondering Jesus through the Scriptures… and being drawn to “the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God” (2 Cor 4.4ff).

I have found this book helpful as I have talked with students about the person of Jesus.  There are times when we are called to contextualize the gospel to the cultures to which we minister.  But we must not forget the other side of the contextualizing prism- that of allowing Jesus Christ to contextualize our thinking about Him.  As leaders, teachers, and pastors, we have a responsibility to clearly communicate this person to a generation who doesn’t merely want us to prove Jesus, but show clearly who this Jesus is.

Further, students don’t want Jesus theory; they want to know who we really believe Jesus is.  This book is as devotional as it thought provoking.  As I have read it, it has brought me to worship.